


Your Blessing

by BrandonJT



Series: Vintage Vignettes [7]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/F, pride month woohoo!, with references to jarvis and howard!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 05:56:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrandonJT/pseuds/BrandonJT
Summary: Peggy Carter was an old-fashioned kind of woman.





	Your Blessing

Peggy Carter was an old-fashioned kind of woman.  
  
She had no problem ditching foolish traditions like settling down with a man or being a secretary, but she believed there were some systems in place for a reason. That's why she was always polite, punctual, and incredibly flustered by her girlfriend's eccentricities. Then again, those quirks were also the reason she loved Angie. The woman was living sunshine, a bundle of warmth, energy, and adorable stubbornness. Before Angie, she never saw herself mellowing out and making a life with someone else.  
  
The actress had changed that.  
  
Of course she had loved other people in her life, like Steve or Daniel, but they were different. With the former, she never had the peace and quiet to truly consider what they would do after the war. The thought hadn't even entered her mind with Daniel. He was sweet and stable, but that was never where she envisioned going with him. With Angie, she had the time and the desire to think about the trajectory of their longtime relationship. The two were friends long before they were lovers, and they were already familiar with the details of living together by the time they started dating.  
  
God help her, Peggy realized that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Angela Martinelli.  
  
That's when some of her more conventional views came into play. She'd need to give Angie a wonderful evening, kneel down, and present the most beautiful ring she could buy. Before all that though, she would have to get the blessing of one of her parents. With Angie's father dead, that left her mother. All things considered, Peggy figured that she had it better than most women interested in taking someone of the same sex's hand in marriage. Mrs. Martinelli was both aware and accepting of Angie's preference.  
  
Still, just like Angie, the petite woman had a fiery spirit. She thought the Martinelli matriarch had taken a liking to her, but she was terrified to learn if that were true or not all the same.  
  
"Mrs. Martinelli-" Peggy began after slipping into the kitchen. Angie and her had happily attended several dinners at the woman's house. She clearly loved her "ma" quite a bit, and thought that the company would do her good. Furthermore, just as Angie had promised, Mrs. Martinelli was a bloody good cook. Angie's teasing about English food being bland besides her was apparently true.  
  
"Olivia, honey." she corrected her as she washed the dishes by hand. She insisted that Peggy call her by her first name since the day they met. That first meal was even more intimidating, despite Angie promising that her mother would adore her. She soon found that it felt wonderful to have another person they could be openly affectionate in front of, but Peggy still wasn't the type to let her guard down easily. Maybe that'd make this easier if Olivia didn't give her her approval.  
  
"Olivia, then..." the woman started again. "I have something to ask of you. Something rather big." she added. Olivia raised an eyebrow at the vague request. Damn it, Carter. The older woman clearly preferred when people were blunt and to the point. She learned that when she tried to wash the dishes for her. Huge mistake. God, was she sweating? It was funny, she thought, that she could take on international operations with ease, but asking a simple question put her so on edge.   
  
"What is it, Peggy dear?" Olivia asked, looking almost concerned by the question. Peggy took a deep breath before opening her mouth once more to explain what she meant.   
  
"I'd like to...well if I could just...if you would..." Peggy stuttered out. You've got to start again. So, she shut her eyes and calmed down before getting right to it. "I'd like to ask for your blessing. I want to marry your daughter, and I know it won't be legal or official, but I'll get a ring, and I swear I'll treat her the way she deserves-" she went on and on. Olivia cut her off by raising her hand. Peggy wasn't an obedient person, but she instantly went silent.  
  
"Yes." is all Olivia said. The secret agent looked shocked, torn between utter confusion and joy she couldn't put into words. So, she merely hugged her girlfriend's mother tightly.  
  
"Oof." she grunted, prompting Peggy to loosen her grip and pull back. She wanted to ask Olivia why she answered so quickly and with such certainty, but the words wouldn't come out.   
  
"You're a good gal, Peggy. I never expected my Angie to find a wife and settle down, but life's never what you expect. You learn that at my age. All I want is for my kids to be happy. You clearly make her ecstatic every damn day. So, yeah, you got my blessing." Olivia went on. It seemed her motherly intuition told her just what the younger woman was thinking.  
  
"Thank you, ma'am." the spy replied after clearing her throat. She looked as prim and proper as ever, but inside her heart was bursting with excitement. "I'll make your daughter happy." she said, almost as if it was a promise. Olivia grinned and nodded, as Peggy walked away with a skip in her step. As she left the kitchen, she could hear her girlfriend's mother mutter something, just loud enough that she could hear it.  
  
"Doesn't hurt that you got a steady job, either."  
  
So, that was where Angie got her signature wit from.

* * *

Angie Martinelli was anything but traditional.  
  
She learned that the first time she kissed a girl and realized that it was more than just practice to her. From then on, she found that over and over again, she preferred taking her own path. She wouldn't sell her body for a part and there was no way in Hell she'd stay at the Automat forever. Angie bet her relationship wasn't too typical either. Sometimes, all the risks she took scared her.  
  
Not for a second though, did she regret any of them.  
  
The actress was proud of her life decisions and eternally grateful that they lead to her meeting, falling in love with, and dating Peggy Carter. She had never felt so comfortable around another person before meeting the english woman. Pegs wasn't only sweet and supportive, but she also made Angie feel so loved and safe. To top it all off, she was drop dead gorgeous. Any typical guy's dream, or in her case, any queer gal's dream.   
  
That was that, Angie decided, this was the lady she wanted to live and die with.   
  
So what next? They had been going steady for a while, and things were great, so...why not get hitched? They couldn't marry legally, 'course, but she was pretty sure a lotta the stuff they had been doin' was illegal. Angie wasn't exactly prepared for this by life, as a kid she was told the gentlemen would take care of it, but she'd have to step up and take charge. She wasn't gonna wait for Peggy to do it, if her girlfriend had even thought of that.  
  
The young woman wanted to do this right for Peggy. She'd get her a real nice ring, get on one of her knees, and ask if she'd make Angie the happiest woman in the world. That just left her with one more thing to do, getting permission from her girlfriend's father. Only...Mr. Carter had passed years ago. Which meant she'd have to go to Peggy's ma. One Amanda Carter, who didn't approve of her daughter's behavior, choices, or occupation. She didn't imagine old Mandy would like her too much either.  
  
"Y'know, English, you oughta take me to your country sometime." Angie suggested as they laid in bed, her head on Peggy's chest. This brought a surprised smile to Peggy's face. She had been unusually cheerful since the dinner they had had that evening with her ma.  
  
"I'd love to, darling. God, there's so much I can show you in London, you'll adore it. Howard owes me one, too, after I-" Peggy rambled on. She rarely heard her girlfriend talk this much, and was kind of wondering what put her in such a sunny mood. Nevermind that, though, she had more important business to attend to.  
  
"I meant you should introduce me to your mother." the actress clarified. Peggy's delighted demeanor instantly faltered.  
  
Still, she would do anything for the Brooklyn girl. So after some of Peggy talking sense into Howard, planning, and packing, the couple flew out to the spy's childhood home.   
  
Sure enough, Peggy's ma didn't appear to care for her.  
  
She wasn't explicitly hostile, and Angie didn't expect her to be. From her gal's stories, she knew the woman was more passive-aggressive and cold than anything. The entire time Amanda had barely acknowledged her, although she was at least grateful that her girlfriend's mom didn't seem to hate her. Meeting parents had gone a lot worse in the past. Hell, she really enjoyed seeing the sights. Still, she knew she was there for one purpose, and Angie wasn't looking forward to doing what she had to.   
  
"I'll be in the car, love." Peggy told her as she left the house. She and her ma had already had their goodbyes, leaving the two of them alone. The older woman was looking down at her newspaper when Angie spoke up.  
  
"Hey, Mrs. Carter..." Angie began in a small squeak. Amanda didn't even look up at her as she did her crossword puzzle, only muttering out a reply.   
  
"Yes, well, what is it?" she muttered. Why did Angie think she could do this? She didn't even the courage to tell Pegs how she felt. She'd just have to quit again and go back home with nothing gained.  
  
"It's uh...nothing, nevermind. Bye, Mrs. Carter." the actress mumbled, walking to the door. As she moved to open it, her mind was flooded with thoughts. No, she wouldn't do this again. She wouldn't wait for Peggy to step up. This was her chance to prove to herself that she had the guts to stand up for their love. So, damn it, that's what she would do.   
  
"No, it's not nothing. I love your daughter and I'm gonna propose to her. I wish you'd like me, and I wish you'd give me your blessing, but I know you won't. Still, I'm gonna get down on my knee and ask her to be my wife. I don't care how not traditional that is." Angie ranted on, eliciting raised eyebrows from Amanda. At the least, she had caught the woman's attention.  
  
"Well, alright then." Amanda replied simply. The heat left Angie's cheeks and her eyes went wide in astonishment.   
  
"Excuse me, what?" Angie asked in a hushed tone. The older woman sat up, tossing her newspaper onto the coffee table.  
  
"I don't agree with a lot of my daughter's decisions, but I learned a long time ago that I can't change her. She's not the daughter I thought I'd have, yes...but I love her all the same. I do want her to be happy. If you've got enough courage to stand up to me and take charge, then I'd say you've earned the right to ask my daughter that question. So, as little as it means to you, you do have my blessing." Mrs. Carter explained. That was the most she'd heard Amanda talk on the entire trip.  
  
"Really? Oh my God, thank you!" she beamed, running over to hug the woman who would hopefully soon be her mother-in-law. Unsurprisingly, she became stiff in response, but slowly reciprocated.   
  
"Nothing to thank me for, really. Now go, Ms. Martinelli, you have a young woman to propose to." Amanda grunted. This time though, Angie could hear a hint of happiness in her voice.   
  
"You got it, Mrs. Carter!" Angie yelled in reply as she ran to catch up with her girlfriend.  
  
Now came the real scary part.

* * *

This was the part that tied her stomach in knots.  
  
"You okay, Pegs? You seem so...distracted." Angie asked with concern. Peggy insisted they eat in tonight, though she called on Mr. Jarvis to help find the perfect caterers who would be discreet about the nature of the two women's relationship. At first her girlfriend was confused by her dinner plans, but strangely enough, that seemed to melt in excitement that rivaled her own. Well, here she was. She going to propose to Angie, right here, and right now.  
  
"Truth be told, darling, I am a bit distracted. I've been thinking about something all night. For many nights, actually." Peggy explained in a soft tone, confusing and worrying Angie. That dissipated instantly when she kneeled, Angie putting her hand over her chest in shock. Hopefully, a pleasant sort of shock. Peggy, on the other hand, took a deep breath, swallowed her doubt, and pulled from her pocket a small black box that held a rather lavish diamond ring. She had to thank Howard for finding that one.  
  
"Angela Martinelli, you are the love of my life. You're my best friend in the entire world. Angie, darling, you saved me from going down a very dark path. And I understand if you're not ready for this kind of commitment, but I couldn't wait a second longer to ask you. Will you do the honor of marrying me? Because, dear god, I want to be your wife." she told the American woman. The seconds that passed until Angie's answer came felt like an eternity.   
  
"Are you kidding me? Of course I'll marry you, English, of course. God." Angie responded, tears of joy in her eyes. At that moment, Peggy felt like she was walking on clouds. There was nothing bad in the world. All there was, right there in front of her, was her fiancee. Angie, of course, felt the same. What a fool she was for doubting the woman's thoughtfulness for even a minute. This woman, this amazing, surprising, smart, strong, and beautiful woman, adored her. Peggy and Angie loved each other just as much as the other did. That was a beautiful thing. It made the both of them feel like the luckiest woman in the world.  
  
"I love you, Angie Martinelli." Peggy whispered as she slowly got up. Angie took her bride to be's face in her hands and kissed her deeply. The older woman wrapped her arms around her fiancee's back and embraced it. After a few blissful moments, they both slowly pulled away. With tears now streaming down her face, Angie chuckled, causing Peggy to raise an eyebrow. She fumbled around in the pocket of her coat and pulled out the ring she had bought for the occasion.  
  
"I...uh...I was kinda gonna propose too." she laughed, bringing an amused, loving grin to the English woman's face. They slid their rings onto each other's fingers and held hands.   
  
"I love you too, Peggy Carter." Angie told her, her voice full of emotion. They looked into each other's eyes, a thought being shared between them but left unspoken. That thought?  
  
God, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I started this fic way back actually, it was originally intended to come out in February (for, y'know, Femslash February). Then life happened, which resulted in me sporadically working on it for months and months. Out of sheer coincidence I finished it in June, Pride Month. Still, I think it all worked out in the end, and I hope you enjoyed the finished product.
> 
> I'll see you sooner than later, hopefully. Stick around - I've got some fun ideas for fics, Cartinelli and otherwise, to look forward to. Happy Pride!


End file.
